Saints move Leicester clash to Twickenham to raise funds for Horne
Northampton Saints will play their Oct 6 fixture against Leicester Tigers at Twickenham to help raise funds for their former player, Rob Horne.
The centre was forced to retire last season after suffering a serious injury seconds after kick-off when attempting to make a tackle in Northampton’s derby against Leicester at Welford Road, his first game as captain of the club.
The Australia international won 34 caps, playing against the British and Irish Lions in 2013, before moving to the East Midlands, where he quickly became a popular member of the squad. The 28-year-old has since returned to Australia but revealed in a video interview with Northampton that he has full paralysis in his right arm and is suffering from chronic pain.
“I detached the five nerves from my spinal cord which control my shoulder, arm and hand,” Horne said. “Everyone that was first on the scene did an incredible job and I am very fortunate to have had that level of expertise from Saints’ and Tigers’ medical staff. I will be eternally grateful for their help because without that immediate response it could have been a lot worse.”
The fixture will be the first time Northampton and Leicester have faced each other at Twickenham since the 2013 Premiership final, with Saints donating £5 on behalf of every season-ticket holder. Fans will have the option to make a contribution as they purchase tickets, with prices starting from £20 for adults and £10 for juniors.
A number of fundraising opportunities will take place on the day, with donations going toward Horne’s rehabilitation. Northamp- ton also revealed that the Rugby Football Union had approached them about hosting a fixture at Twickenham in order to test out the ground’s new East Stand ahead of the 2018 autumn Tests.
“There was a significant financial incentive for the club to host the game – one we could not ignore – which enables us to maximise the funds we can raise for Rob,” said Mark Darbon, Saints’ chief executive.
Chris Boyd, Saints’ director of rugby, added: “This is a great opportunity for the club and the rugby family to get behind Rob.”